Friday, 26 April 2013

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry officially opened Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire this morning.

The royal trio met some of the creative teams from recent Warner Bros. productions and were given an insight into the film making process and shown some of the props and costumes from those films.

Around 500 guests from the Duke and Duchess and Prince Harry's charities including EACH and Centrepoint joined the young royals for a tour of the facility and particularly enjoyed The Making of Harry Potter attraction.

Warner Bros. Studio Twiter Feed

Kate measured up to half-giant Rubeus Hagrid.

Warner Bros. Studios Twitter Feed

William and Harry got behind the wheels of Arthur Weasley's Ford Anglia. Who can forget Harry and Ron taking off in the flying car in The Chamber of Secrets?

Warner Bros. Studio Twitter Feed

The royals were joined by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for the official opening. Notably the writer was also wearing a polka dot dress.

DukeandDuchessofCambridge.org

William and Kate wield wands in The Great Hall.

Gordon Rayner Twitter Feed

And enjoy a duel.

DukeandDuchessofCambridge.org

If like William, Kate and Harry, you are a fan of The Harry Potter series (They've all seen the movies), you will enjoy a look at the Hogwarts Castle model. The model is the jewel of the Art Department having been built for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It took 86 artists and crew members to construct the first version which was then rebuilt and altered many times over the next seven films.

Wikipedia

One of my personal favourite sets, Diagon Alley.

Warner Bros. Studios Twitter

The tour includes many familiar characters including Aragog, the animatronic spider created for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The tour video can be viewed here.

Warner Bros. Studios

Heart News Hertfordshire created this photo. Many of you previously mentioned Harry would make a great Ron. What do you think of the new Harry, Ron and Hermione?

Heart News Hertfordshire Twitter

The royals looked at Batman's Batpod much to William's delight who mentioned he has his eye on a new role "Christian Bale is getting old and tired. I will stand in if I have to". He then turned to Harry and said "We should borrow it for the weekend".

DukeandDuchessofCambridge.org

As you can see Harry was very amused :)

SkyFixerJim Twitter Feed

The Prince also took a look inside the Batmobile. When William finally emerged he said "I'm a very happy man" and when he spotted his wife he apologised for taking so long "Sorry, sorry".

'To be honest, I'm over the moon just to have seen the real Batmobile and Batpod - Josh, Barry, you don't do baby seats for those cars, do you, by any chance?

On the other hand Harry's just excited to see a real life talking owl in the Harry Potter studios. I haven't told him yet Harry Potter is fictional, so please keep the secret for a little longer. And please make another of the Dark Knight series, and another.....and another!'.

Following the tour William, Kate and Harry hosted a meeting for their Charities Forum in The Great Hall.

Clarence House Twitter

The Charities Forum is the collection of charities, of which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are Patrons. William and Harry founded the Forum in 2006 as a way to bring their individual charitable interests together and to explore how they could best lend their support to them all in an effective and efficient way. Today there are over thirty organisations involved including Kate's patronages.

'For example, in July 2012 Mountain Rescue England and Wales, of which The Duke is Patron, hosted families and young people from the Child Bereavement Charity and Centrepoint (two of the Duke's other charities) and Prince Harry's charity Well Child for a day of outdoor activities.

The children learnt how to abseil and how Mountain Rescue teams conduct rescues and evacuations. It was an enjoyable day for all the children and families involved, and was made possible thanks to the to the links the organisations were able to make through the Charities Forum'.

William also launched a new scholarship scheme. More from The Telegraph:

'The Duke of Cambridge has launched a new scholarship scheme for aspiring filmmakers during a visit to the new £100 million Warner Bros. Studios.

The scholarships, which will offer applicants up to £10,000 to cover course fees, are supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros. Applicants will receive free access to BAFTA events and a funded work placement within the Warner Bros. group.

To conclude their visit William, Kate and Harry were presented with wands, handmade by Pierre Bohanna.

Kate teamed the dress with her black Ralph Lauren jacket, a piece the Duchess has worn several times most notable the day after the royal wedding.

Kate accessorised with her black suede clutch and pearl earrings.

Splash News

The Duchess completed the look with her black suede Episode 'Angel' pumps. I thought the overall look was perfect for the occasion. Kate is almost seven months pregnant and looking fantastic, it's wonderful to see her enjoying it following her illness last December. Her maternity style is very much the same as always. Elegant, classic pieces with a mix of high street and designer.

The royals enjoyed their visit so much they stayed fifty minutes later than scheduled. It was one of the most fun engagements they've had and they all had a wonderful time especially William :)

We'll next see Kate on Monday, she's visiting hospice Naomi House.

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With many thanks to all of you who have been enquiring about #BCF. I'm delighted to be able to tell you all it is the Baby Cambridge Fundraiser supporting Kate's patronage East Anglia's Children's Hospices. We are officially launching on Monday, at which time I will be sharing all relevant information on the charity, donating and activities taking place in the coming months. You can keep up with all the latest exciting updates by following the fundraisers Facebook Page and Twitter Account @RoyalFundraiser. I am so looking forward to telling you more about this charitable endeavour!

72 comments:

Thanks for the super-fast post as ever Charlotte. As a major Harry Potter fan I am more than a little envious of this particular engagement! Fantastic news about the BCF - I think that's a brilliant idea and I can't wait to find out the details. Annie, UK

I am a French reader and it's been several months that I read your blog and news of Her Royal Higness, but I never dared to leave comments, today I decided to comment and talk about your wonderful blog :)

I love the style of Kate, she looks radiant and this dress is just beautiful!

She looks absolutely wonderful! It's hard to believe that this woman today is the same woman on Sunday, who wore that horrid jacket! (I was 'okay' with it, but after the last few days, I've categorized it as horrid LOL) Perfection!

I wonder why/how she can be so stylish, like today, but dress so differently for each occassion. Maybe she has to get her wardrobe approved by the Queen for certain events, or maybe the Queen's stylist picks out the outfit for specific occassions.... I just don't know. But here is our stylish, young Duchess!

Charlotte, you are so fast! Don't have much time to type..must get the kids up and out the door. William is like a kid in a candy store!!! Love it!!! Kate in black and white, beautiful and classy. The polka dot dress....timeless. LOVE seeing the trio together! Will post more later!

Charlotte, thanks for working so hard for us this week!!! GREAT job!!!

Charlotte, I've been reading for a long time but never commented. I love your blog and am so excited when I see a post from you! I think the Duchess looks gorgeous and I love how much fun they were having at the WB Studios!

Catherine looks lovely again--today seems like a fun visit--just heard Prince William asking if they could put baby seats in the batmobile!The polka dot dress is really great worn with the little jacket.Seems to me that each outfit she has worn this week has been totally appropriate for the visit she was making.Look forward to hearing more about the Baby Cambridge fundraising.

THANKS A LOT for all the work that you make for this page and the fast news! I'm from switzerland, so we haven't got any royals.... but I'm proud that some People with royal background live all theese things in our actual time! Especially the british royals! They make the People in Great Britain proud and happy! And as a BIG Harry Potter Fan, I wait for this engagement since I read that the duchess came to Leavsden. (Sorry about my grammatic!!).

I love it to reat the news on this Blog and wish you many many happy times for your work here for us all! THANK YOU!

PS: You know where Kate & Co. go in the Warner Bros-Halls? I was in London for Easter... but we had in theese Studios a big portal for get in??

Welcome to you, Prisca, from Switzerland and to Claire from France. One of my favorite things about this blog is the participation of readers from all over the globe. I think Charlotte deserves a medal for promoting international dialogue and understanding!

Catherine looks beautiful today! I love this outfit, but I doubt that it is the dress that you show. IF you notice, the mannequin's dress is drop-waisted, while Catherine's dress seems to be an empire. Also, with her bump growing considerably over the last week or two, I think she may have had the dress made up as a maternity style outfit. I do love your posts though; you seem to get the jump on every other media source. Keep up the GREAT work.

Thanks for the post! Really like Catherine's outfit this evening...it's much more HER, unlike some other outfits she's worn lately. Classy, but youthful. I've always loved her RL jacket but haven't found anything similar that's in my budget yet. She looks amazing for 7 months pregnant! Looks like the trio really enjoyed themselves, especially William! It must be nice for them to have a more "fun" engagement since so many of their engagements are very formal, serious, etc.

I love this young trio, full of laughter and visibly enjoying themselves. Wills and Harry are such cute young men and Kate is so beautiful. Have you noticed that Ms J.K. Rowling's dress is very similar to the one that Kate is wearing?

Fun visit. Thanks for the great and quick post, Charlotte. The royal trio seems to be having a blast. I preferred the last two dresses Kate wore. I like the longer length on her, looks more balanced and more elegant. But this is fine, sort of the casual look any woman might wear to an amusement park.

Personally I think she looks elegant, classy and VERY healthy and happy! Duchess Kate seems to know what she is trying to relay in each of her outfits. She obviously puts a lot of thought behind how she dresses! Lovely woman, wife and soon to be mommy! Charlotte you really do an amazing job on your reporting.....who knows maybe you'll be a STAR(not the newspaper btw) reporter for a news agency, magazine or start your own! Whatever you do it will be top of the line and professional! Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy! Thanks for your spot on reporting! I check it daily although do not have time to comment most of the time! : ) P.S. Princes William and Harry are looking excellent too!Deborah if Denver, CO. USA

Adorable, but once again a wee bit too short. I think Catherine has longer legs compared to the average woman. If you're buying "off the rack" it can present a problem. The jacket is a perfect complement to the dress. The polka dots make me happy! :-)

I agree with you Daisy the polka dots are really happy and very stylish. I like the crisp clean look - although just a little too short. I am in doubt if it is the Topshop dress because the waistline appears higher.

In actuality, the Duchess is very long waisted and her legs are rather "short" compared to her torso. I think she uses the very high heels to balance that out. It makes her look porportioned. It is more noticable when she is in pants and flat shoes. She does have very lovely legs.

I love to see these three together. They are just joyful together. I hope that Harry can find someone wonderful as well...

This look is very sweet and very Kate. Black polka dots on white look very youth as well as elegant. Lenght is OK from back, in front a bit shorter but with her pregnancy this is more than comprensible in case of not bespoke dress, proportions are fine.I´m bit envidious too, obviously great fun for them and all the guests, love all the photos with wand magic :) The idea to hold the charities meeting in the Hogwart hall was also great.Curious about further details about BCF!

What an excellent post, Charlotte! It's obvious that William, Kate, and Harry have a marvelous time together and it's so fun to see them. :o) I think the Duchess looks young and fresh and beautiful today - great to see her happy and healthy.

The BCF will support a very good cause. Looking forward to hearing more about it.

Looked like an extremely fun event .William, Kate and Harry compliment each other very well. The 3 Musketeers. It is great how all of the different Patronages and Charities are working together just like them. I'm a Harry Potter fan and the room with the cozy chairs and fireplace is my favorite.Kate looks lovely. Oops both ladies wore polka dots. Hope they laughed it off..Looking forward to more info on Baby Cambridge fundraiser, another great example of team work.Have a lovely weekend all :)

Hi charlotte im on the second commeting this blog i can see my comnent earlier so i comment love the royal trio specially kate looks good in her polka dots dress and im love all the pictures and news early update on us early in the morning you wake up and william loves harry potter movies and kate watch all harry potter movies and read all the books one more thing charlotte how can support #BCF

Thank you very much CP. I suggested it might be the Florence Maternity this morning to the other ladies who ID Kate's clothes but they all think it's the skater style in a bigger size. I'm more and more inclined to think it's the Florence due to the empire waist.

What a fun visit !!! So wonderful to see them all happy. I love Kate and William playing with the wands in an ITN video. You can just see and feel how much they love each other.

I found the dress sweet, but a tad too short, once again. At one time she passes her arm on her back to make sure all is down ! Sweet !The Duchess looked gorgeous and happy, and that is all that matters ;)

Hello, there!What a fun engagement today! I've read all the books and seen all the movies from Harry Potter series and I wish I could have been there! Such a terrific opportunity! And I couldn't agree more with William, they should add more and more and more movies to the Dark Knight series, which is my favourite super-hero and also three of the best movies released recently. I was truly impressed by the way Heath Ledger played that role! I was so sad when he died!Well, yesterday I saw a FB page about #BCF, and I was glad to see my curiosity go away :) Very nice attitude! if Catherine herself or her PR team really reads the blog, I'm sure they're very proud of this initiative. I'm looking forward to help and learn more about this project!Thank you for this post, Charlotte!I hope you can rest during your weekend, since you've worked do hard to keep us posted this week :)Hugs from São Paulo!

Oh dear - again a dress that's too short! A circle cut skirt as this one has is notoriously bad for looking as if the hem is uneven which as anyone gets more pregnant is a problem to begin with. But I do like the timelessness of black and white which is so popular again this season. It's kept casual with her black jacket worn as a tie in separate. I also don't think it's the skaters dress. The royal trio looked like they had a lot of fun at the event! nice to see so many smiles all the way around!

Best look of the week, very sharp, but again just too short. I think the problem is buying off the rack, not the bump. Most clothing is made for average height, and I believe Kate is 5'10". Sometimes a brand runs longer (used to be one from Texas sold at Cook's, the manager called when she got something in), but they're hard to find.

Agreed with the others, Kate's dressed fun spring and young :) gosh they had so much fun at the event, I wish I was there lol. I wish Kate would've tied her hair back, and added a pin to her coat for a bit of sparkle, still a great look nevertheless. Thanks chica!xoxo

Wow when I got up this morning (6:30am California time) your post was already here. It was a great way to start my day. I love the dress & jacket. She is just glowing & oh so beautiful. William had a glow to himself today too. I always love seeing them together. Their love for one another just glows over them.

I liked the fact that he was asking if the car came with a baby seat, that was so cute. And then him saying he was sorry sorry to his Duchess. Wonder what that was about, any one know?

Can't wait til Monday now and to see what she will be wearing. I sure hope William has a special day plan for them. Her schedule will not last all day so hoping they will be together after that.

Since there is no enagements for May, I wonder if she will be taking some time off to rest. She has been quite busy.

Now THIS is a dress! I could care less if it is short--she has the legs to make it work, and she never mixes a low neckline with a short skirt. Amazing how her feature never get lost in this type of print. The Ralph Lauren jacket was perfect for it, too.

I hated the blue dress she wore days ago. She looked fantastic in the color, but the fabric wrinkled. It looked like a scout project for a merit badge. And the gray suede shoes were a total no-no.

The gray suede shoes were just OK - the fabric the dress was made of did not photo quite like it looks in person - the dress fabric was a heavier fabric with more texture than shows in photos/lighting at the event. Thus I think many feel her shoes look too heavy in texture for the dress and maybe not quite neutral enough to 'go' with the blue of the dress. A slightly lighter hue gray would have worked better but nice not to see her wear her nude LK Ben. Pumps which she could have opted for. She could have wore a short kitten heal black patten with the blue dress to the National Portrait Gallery event on 4-24 - that might have made more of a complete balanced look.

Food for thoughts!The best look of the week. And it cost just $60. Kate doesn't need so expensive looks to shine. She is young, beautiful and happy in this special moment of her live. The last outfits didn't seem worth. For such a beautiful work in charities keep the feet on earth is part of the attitude besides her richness and social position.

I agree. Cost does not always translate as good design. This dress might have been helped some with some after tailoring of putting weights in the hem to even out how it falls. It's always tricky to get an even hem on a dress with a stretchy waist on anyone who is showing as much as Kate is now. But comfort and also knowing it will fit today and tomorrow is also really important. So often planned tailored maternity wear does not end up working because suddenly weight of the bump and bum shifts and the dress can pull something horrible and look shlumpy - this one despite it was inexpensive did not come off looking shlumpy.

I agree with many of the comments here...Kate looked lovely in a young and classy outfit. And it was great to see the three of them having a good time. Baby Cambridge will be blessed with wonderful parents and a fun and doting Uncle! :)

Kate looks beautiful as always. But I am OBSESSED with that photo of the 3 of them holding wands! One of the cutest moments ever!! Looks like a very fun engagement- she was dressed just perfectly! Great post:)

I don't know if I'm the only one thinking that way but it seems to me that Kate is a lot more confident and outgoing on her solo engagements. I find her always a bit shy and restrained as soon as she is in company with other Royals, especially her husband. It feels like she likes to "hide away" a bit and falls back to her rather shy appearance she had two years ago at the very beginning of public engagements. What do you think - is that a wrong impression? It's an observation that came into my mind when watching the videos, not so much on pictures.

I wouldn't agree. William was there to open the the studios as President (or whatever) of Bafta and at getting on for 7 months pregnant she couldn't be climbing in and out of all those things.The thing I have noticed is that Catherine's presence seems to give William more confidence. In that they remind me of George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother)

Chiara, To me she seems glad to take a step back and let him be out front. Actually maybe that's why all three of them work together very well no one has the additude I'm the. (top dog) look at me. On solo engagements she probably has to (rise to the occasion) so she seems more confident. The confidence is still there with William but, what better way to let someone take the lead but by taking a step back.

I have loved all the dresses that Catherine has worn the past few engagements.

@beachgal- I have read many of your post regarding Catherines dresses of late and you never have anything nice to say about them. They are either not the right color, to short, the shoes are not the right color etc. etc. Just wondering what gives?

Catherine does not have any help, which is her choice. There are many here that think she does a great job dressing herself. But you don't think so.

I enjoy beachgal's posts. They are very analytical, explaining in detail why she likes or dislikes a specific element of an outfit. I also don't find her comments particularly negative. Her most recent posts cite the timelessness of the "unshlumpy" black and white, the texture of the blue fabric, the fun Kate, William, and Harry were having. At any rate, differing opinions (if they are offered respectfully) make the discussions interesting to me.

Wonderful visit today and delighted to hear about the charity scheme. The perfect chance to get involved in one of Kate's charities although I plan to donate to the destroyed playgound too. Just hope it's not all on Facebook and Twitter for us old-fashioned types.

Have to admit I liked the last two dresses better. Just not crazy about Kate in a short skirt, never looks like the right porportions. The blue dress was in such a lovely material and a good length and style. But the best was the Erdam. It made Kate look so slim. You would have thought she put on a stone between that engagement and today. The vertical lines in that dress and the knee length and close fit were very slimming, even though it isn't a maternity dress.

The royal group seemed to be having so much fun today! Lovely to see the three of them together.

The best outfit today belonged to someone called Lady Verdulam. Saw a glimpse of it on the Daily Mail site and it looked like a lovely and beautifully porportioned spring coat, although the front wasn't visable.

LOVE seeing William, Kate, and Harry together! They are a powerful force for the UK and are a wonderful representation for their country. The future looks good for the House of Windsor with the terrific trio! I love the work they have done with the Charities Forum and so many will benefit from their many charities working together.

As I mentioned before, Kate looks beautiful, classy, and so happy. The outfit was perfect for the day! I don't think you can go wrong with black and white....timeless. She looks so healthy and that sweet baby is growing. I know William must be proud to share his life with Kate. They look adorable dueling together! Their smiles speak volumes and say it all. :) William looked like he had a blast! It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves!

Charlotte, I am so excited for #BCF! What a fabulous way to raise money for a great charity! I know you will be excited to launch it on Monday!

Loved today's post in so many ways. Will and Kate are happy and wonderfully in love, Baby Cambridge is growing, and many people are being blessed by great charities. A FABULOUS DAY!

Did anyone else catch what William said "I haven't read the books "but he has seen the movies and the Deathly Hallows is his favorite. I loved the little girl saying the books have so much more details. Hope Kate and William will read many a good book to their children.:)

@ Sarah from Calif.Yes ! I noticed the same thing. As an author myself, I was rather disappointed when he said he hadn't read them. At least one ! I read four of the books, and loved them... The little girl was brilliant. What she said is so true, books are "active imagination" and give much more details and space to dream...

Well, between catching up with his Kafka and Camus I doubt he has much time to devote to low brow stuff like Rowling, consummate intellectual that he is.Jokes apart, that really surprises you - that he hasn't read Harry Potter? The Royal brothers don't strike me as the type who read books for recreation.

Wonderful look and style -could have used a bling-y brooch to help. Lady Verulam's outfit was much better fitting though, and a far more appropriate length. A good breeze or bending over for some reason and Kate would have left us all wondering commando or granny pants again (remembering the runway in Canada and the yellow dress).

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